CHRIS FAIRHURST can land the biggest training success of his career with Rahwaan in today's £120,000 Chester Cup.

Napped by this column to score on his seasonal reappearance at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting, Fairhurst's gutsy gelding duly obliged with an all-the-way victory at the rewarding odds of 9-2.

Chris immediately declared Rahwaan's next target would be today's 2-mile marathon, in which he finished a gallant fourth 12 months ago.

As he is a couple of pounds higher for this year's race, Rahwaan wouldn't be on my mind unless I thought he was a much-improved performer.

I believe that is very much case because there seems little doubt Fairhurst's canny decision to give Rahwaan a spin over hurdles at Catterick in early March freshened up the five-year-old no end.

The selection clocked a very fast time at Catterick, and appeared to have really thrived for his foray into the world of National Hunt racing. I've never seen him look better than in the parade ring prior to picking up the prize at Doncaster.

The negatives for Rahwaan revolve around his wide draw in stall 13, plus the obvious strength of the heavily-backed market leader, Anak Pekan.

Fairhurst said: "The draw is of slight concern as he'll have to use some early pace to get across, but the horse is well and we don't mind what the ground is like."

Anak Pekan undoubtedly represents the main danger to the Middleham raider, but he shot up 10lb in the weights after his winning return at Kempton in April and is a very skinny ante-post price at only 3-1.

The other feature event on the card is the preceding Chester Oaks, an extended mile-and-three-furlong Listed affair fancied to fall to Deraasaat (2.25)

Ed Dunlop's filly put plenty of distance between herself and the second horse, Seeking Away, when romping away with a one-mile maiden by six lengths at Nottingham in September 2003.

Owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum, Deraasaat's immaculate bloodlines - by Nashan out of Roberto mare - will have breeding pundits positively salivating at the thought of the filly now stepping up in trip, a sensible ploy sure to play to her strengths.

From a purely punting perspective the 16-runner Tess Graham Memorial Handicap over six furlongs is not for the faint-hearted.

But as the old saying goes "fortune favours the brave" and the manner with which Benbaun (3.30) destroyed his rivals at Haydock last Saturday suggests he is a sprinter with a monster future.

Ferdy Murphy's gamble of sending Carlys Quest (4.15) all the way from Wensleydale to Chepstow in south Wales seems set to pay dividends in the three-mile Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle.

Carlys Quest, a one-time useful middle-distance campaigner on the Flat, has yet to show his true colours over the sticks. But there were encouraging noises on his latest start at Carlisle signalling Murphy's long-distance raider was about to strike.

* Punctilious, one of Godolphin's leading hopes for the Vodafone Oaks, is due to make her reappearance in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes on the opening afternoon of the Dante Meeting at York on Tuesday.

The filly finished third behind Cairns and 1000 Guineas runner-up Sundrop in a private trial at Nad Al Sheba last month.

Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager, said: ''Punctilious is on target for the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes.

''We had been considering the 1000 Guineas for her but the longer trip (an extended mile and a quarter) of the Musidora will suit her better.''